Felicity Jones on How Girls Is Like Dickens

Felicity Jones' latest film, The Invisible Woman, has her playing opposite Ralph Fiennes—he's Charles Dickens, and she's his secret mistress (and possible inspiration for characters such as Estella in Great Expectations). But invisibility isn't an option for Jones herself, who is even more stunning these days with her recently shorn locks (for a film role) and happy to have landed a guest spot on the much-anticipated third season of Girls. The British actress recently chatted with ELLE about her love of girl culture and the pressures of public life.‬

‪You've got shorter hair now. Is that for the Stephen Hawking movie, 'The Theory of Everything?'‬

‪It was, yes! It started in 1964 so I got a short bob. I'm really enjoying it! I actually always had short hair as a kid, and it's really liberating. I recommend it. It's just very easy. I don't have to brush it. [Laughs] You can just get up in the morning and you can just leave without having to do all the annoying things that we spend too much of our lives doing.‬

‪By the way, I'm a huge fan of 'Chalet Girl.' Did you know it's a massive Netflix hit?‬

‪No way! That makes me so happy! You couldn't have said anything better. I feel like in the States it was this underground movie, and I really loved doing that one. I put my life and soul into that movie. And I love those kinds of films. It's not really in the same realm, but I love Mean Girls; I love Clueless. That's one of my favorite movies of all time. I love teen girl-driven films. And you know, we wanted to make a sequel! We could still try to. It would have to be when they're all a bit older.‬

‪Well, if they can turn 'Mean Girls' into a Broadway musical, certainly they can do a 'Chalet Girl' sequel...‬

‪You had to play 10 years younger in both 'Chalet Girl', and again in 'The Invisible Woman'...‬

‪Yes, it's interesting. I liked that challenge. And it's quite a subtle age jump. It's not like she goes from 15 to 60. It's more of a 15-year gap, and I quite like that it was a woman in her thirties looking back at her teens and early twenties. I think there's an interesting transition between being a girl and being a woman. It's what attracted me to the project.‬

‪Not the chance to steal Ralph Fiennes away from Kristin Scott Thomas and break up 'The English Patient?'‬

‪You know, I felt really bad about that! Because that was a great love story. I didn't want to come in between them. Sorry, guys! Hopefully people will forgive me.‬

‪You and Ralph had played father and daughter before, in 'Cemetery Junction,' so was it strange to play lovers? Like fake incest?‬

‪I love that, "fake incest." Yeah, I don't know what that says about the world, that we can go from playing father and daughter to lovers, but each new project is sort of starting again. You totally believe in that world and those characters, and you can't dwell too much on what you did before. If anything, it's really helpful because you've already set up the dynamic. No matter what the relationship is on screen, at least you feel a level of being comfortable with each other.‬

‪Dickens tried to keep his private life hidden. Do you think he could have kept such a secret had he lived in today's world?‬

‪It's impossible, isn't it? Our private lives are now what we make public via Facebook and Twitter. It's a completely different way of existing. It's a world where everyone has a voice, so we're much more aware of how audiences feel. I think it can be rather exciting, sometimes. But Dickens was someone who cared deeply about his public image. He didn't feel as if his private life would be consistent with how he was presenting himself—outwardly he stood for family values and morality. So there was a level of hypocrisy there. I guess now there are similar situations with politicians, where we find something out about them and it's not consistent with how they're selling themselves. But now it wouldn't be that much of a surprise, would it? Do we expect it, you think? And is it because we've become more cynical? Or more accepting? It's more surprising if someone's been in a monogamous relationship for twenty years than if he had a mistress. That's the shocker. The times, they have changed.‬

‪You recently shot a guest appearance on 'Girls.' Did you get to spend a lot of time with Lena Dunham?‬

‪I just have a little cameo, where I'm doing sort of a trans-Atlantic accent. I'm just a big fan. I'm so in awe of everyone on the show. I think the acting and the writing are sublime. It's amazing how a show can be Dickensian. I know it's a strange comparison, but Dickens used to release his books in these serialized installments. A TV show is a similar idea. These people become a part of your life. I watched 'Girls' obsessively; I was totally committed to every episode. It was just so cool to be a part of it. And I'd love to work with Lena again. My character didn't die, so who knows?‬